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Appreciating the Beauty and Wonder of Nature

I don’t know how many people will venture out and observe the super moon lunar eclipse this weekend, but I plan to. And hopefully, I can get my kids to join me. It seems to me like these things have become less and less impressive over time as we can do more and more with our electronic devices. Too many people are glued to their screens and don’t make time to venture outside and enjoy their surroundings. My kids can’t put their phones and iPods away long enough to enjoy a campfire anymore, which makes me sad.

There’s something very peaceful and therapeutic about listening to the crackling of a campfire along with crickets chirping and other sounds of the night while watching the flames of the fire dance around. The same can be said for listening to the sounds of the ocean, hearing the water hitting the lake shore, looking at fall colors, smelling fresh flowers, watching animals interact with one another, and so many other things. At least that’s the case for me.

Who doesn’t feel more relaxed after spending some time at the beach or taking a vacation to take in some beautiful sights? That’s always relaxing, not only because we are taking a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but we are often reconnecting with nature. The sights, smells, and sounds do us good. There are plenty of scientific reasons for that, such as the fact that looking at the color green causes a release of serotonin, which helps our brains regulate mood, appetite, memory, perception on pain, and our sleep schedule. Think about how much of nature is green. I’m sure there are a lot of psychological and physiological benefits as well.

The problem is, most of us don’t make enough time to do this the rest of the year when we are not on vacation. Taking a walk outside on a lunch break or finding things to do outside every so often, or even just looking out our windows would be a good start. Getting our kids to spend more time outside and appreciate nature, whether it’s just enjoying it or taking it a step further to getting them to help preserve it, is always a good thing. Nature can be very fascinating and intriguing as well if we look more closely. There is obviously a lot of science that can be observed, but there is also a whole lot of math.

So not only should we be more mindful of our surroundings when we happen to be outside and really notice all the little things nature has to offer us, but we should make a point to experience the wonders of nature more frequently as well. It would do us all some good.

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